Atheist Nexus2015-08-02T22:48:22ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTinerhttp://api.ning.com:80/files/Bn57H-lGow5gf9EQMn2oIppjdoDB75mXRfHQnwnxwbBsQmOpO4J28nbJ7befyvx2hJWItn*cBPLCFIHaa6coXfVE5EVa1Ee-/IMG_7942.JPG?width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://atheistnexus.org/group/atheistbuddhists/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=0jeilfrrtlo81&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThe Teachings of Ethical Culturetag:atheistnexus.org,2013-07-12:2182797:Topic:22686822013-07-12T03:00:42.471ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">This is how I op<font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">eratio<font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">nalize</font></font></font></font></font></font> the teachings of Ethical Culture, a nontheistic and humanistic philosophy originally developed by Felix Adler, into an actual praxis and way of life. <font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">You will notice many parallels with secular and naturalistic…</font></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">This is how I op<font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">eratio<font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">nalize</font></font></font></font></font></font> the teachings of Ethical Culture, a nontheistic and humanistic philosophy originally developed by Felix Adler, into an actual praxis and way of life. <font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">You will notice many parallels with secular and naturalistic interpretations of Buddhism.</font></font><br/></font></p>
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<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">The interdependent web of all existence, or the Omniverse or the totality of all that is, is that which is worthy of our reverence and highest value. Our social, political, and economic systems need to be reformulated and based on this highest value.</font></font></p>
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<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">We are all connected together, and we need to avoid actions that serve to separate or distance us from each other. We need to get that change of heart so that we can connect and value something larger than simply our own egos so we can be "saved" from our self-centered hell of our own making when we elevate our Love of Self over Compassion towards Others. The essence of true naturalistic ethics, as opposed to the authoritarian dogmatic claims of organized religions, is demonstrating our reverence of the interdependent web of all existence through our love and compassion for others, both personally and collectively. </font></font></p>
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<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">There is a paradox inherent in the nature of human reality. We are not only individual, autonomous beings in charge of our own destinies. We are also interdependent creatures cultivated by our social environment. If we are removed from their social context, our personal identities and destinies are altered. To succeed, each of us must satisfy both internal personal needs and external social needs. Integrating these two aspects of the self is the challenge of every person and the burden of ethics.</font></p>
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<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">As we travel through the stages of life from birth to death, we must learn to create satisfying relationships with people, nature, and the universe, or we suffer the consequences. Personal ethical development comes through a mindfulness of the interactions of our actions and their consequences upon other people and living beings, including those in the future just as our ancestors' actions had consequences on our current living circumstances.</font></font></p>
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<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">So our ethical ideal is not a personified "Supreme Being", but actually an ideal state of “supreme being” to be lived out in the image of an ideal community where each person and living creature is treated as unique and essential to the whole in a state of interdependent, eliciting-the-best relationships necessary for humans and other living creatures of the wider community of life to experience and benefit from being organically. Each also elicits the best from all others. Such a person lives by ethical values derived for that end, whether called the Great Commandment or the Golden Rule or the Ethical Axiom. The result is a whole greater than the sum of its parts, an Ethical Society or Culture.</font></font></p>
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<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Ethical Culture is eventually achieved through the individual practice of Ethical Mindfulness. To summarize, Ethical Mindfulness promotes a conscious ethical life, without supernaturalism, where one developmentally evolves from a completely egocentric or self-centered view of life to a more unselfish and community-focused view of life. Ethical Mindfulness promotes the Ethical Axiom (the Ethical Culture equivalent of the Golden Rule) which is to act in such a way as to elicit the best in others and thus in myself. Personal ethical development comes through a mindfulness of the Ethical Manifold - the interactions of our actions and their consequences upon other people and living beings (including those in the future just as our ancestors' actions had consequences on our current living circumstances). By being mindful of the interconnectedness of all life and listening to one's conscience, we can open our hearts and minds to transformation. Mindfulness practices such as meditation help to train the mind to make Ethical Mindfulness more of an ongoing habit before one chooses to act, rather than simply responding from habit or reacting from an emotional response.</font></p>
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<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The essence of truth is the impermanent, and also interdependent nature of all life. When we can fully and deeply appreciate this truth, "good" things like compassion for all living things, can arise within us.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></p> Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzutag:atheistnexus.org,2011-07-29:2182797:Topic:14742432011-07-29T18:28:09.333ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
Has anyone here heard about Zhuangzi (aka Chuang Tzu)? He is one of the founders of Taoism, and well known as a skeptical thinker. There is a three part book called Zhuangzi that uses monologues, anecdotes, metaphors, etc to make you think or prove a philosophical point, and covers a lot of the same topics that Buddha does. As in Buddhism, a secular would have to understand that some of the words are just a representation of the culture at the time and are not really important for the view he…
Has anyone here heard about Zhuangzi (aka Chuang Tzu)? He is one of the founders of Taoism, and well known as a skeptical thinker. There is a three part book called Zhuangzi that uses monologues, anecdotes, metaphors, etc to make you think or prove a philosophical point, and covers a lot of the same topics that Buddha does. As in Buddhism, a secular would have to understand that some of the words are just a representation of the culture at the time and are not really important for the view he is trying to express. It's a good book! I recommend it. To those who have read it, what did you think? Yeats and the Second Comingtag:atheistnexus.org,2011-07-02:2182797:Topic:13957252011-07-02T23:51:37.348ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
<p>Siddhartha Gautama, whom the vulgar are wont to name "the Buddha" (as if there were only one), was born Hindu. The concepts of a personal deity and a reincarnated soul bothered him and the longer he meditated upon them the sooner he understood emptiness. William Butler Yeats was familiar with Hindu cycles of time; after all, he was an initiate of England's then-leading occult fraternal order,the Order of the Golden Dawn. He had contact with Aleister Crowley who was greatly influenced by…</p>
<p>Siddhartha Gautama, whom the vulgar are wont to name "the Buddha" (as if there were only one), was born Hindu. The concepts of a personal deity and a reincarnated soul bothered him and the longer he meditated upon them the sooner he understood emptiness. William Butler Yeats was familiar with Hindu cycles of time; after all, he was an initiate of England's then-leading occult fraternal order,the Order of the Golden Dawn. He had contact with Aleister Crowley who was greatly influenced by another member of the Order, a Theravadan Crowley probably loved. The Hindu concept of time is cyclical, and Yeats had the Kali Yuga in mind when he wrote "The Second Coming." </p>
<p>If memory serves me correctly, the major explication of the Hindu cycles of time is in the Shiva Purana. It has all the features of the world today, a kind of Oriental version of the debatably eschatological Revelations of John of Patmos. The gospel was written using isopsephia to send a coded message: The Great Beast = Nero Caesar. Some might argue that it doesn't take a belief in God for the End Times to be coming. At least with the Hindu version, though, we have our afterlife on earth, with a new Golden Age, not one in "heaven" or "paradise," whether we're met by angels or virgins. Or raisins. The lines:</p>
<p>The best lack all conviction, while the worst<br/> Are full of passionate intensity</p>
<p>perfectly decribe the foolishness in the capital and the presence of people like Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. </p>
<p>Yeats was a fine poet, but some of his works are reflections of the knowledge and, indeed, wisdom he acquired during his occult period.</p> Nothing Through the Tantrastag:atheistnexus.org,2011-06-09:2182797:Topic:13311752011-06-09T01:29:03.911ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
Now that I can look back, my last religious impulse was derived from the tantras, which teach "yoga through bhoga" and in their more extreme forms give rise to Hindu sects that are strange, indeed, to Western eyes. The tantras teach that there is not the slightest difference, ontologically, between a spoon of chocolate and a spoon of turds. The ability to cease having opinions and to cease discriminating between any one thing and any other thing being the ultimate goal ("enlightenment" = code…
Now that I can look back, my last religious impulse was derived from the tantras, which teach "yoga through bhoga" and in their more extreme forms give rise to Hindu sects that are strange, indeed, to Western eyes. The tantras teach that there is not the slightest difference, ontologically, between a spoon of chocolate and a spoon of turds. The ability to cease having opinions and to cease discriminating between any one thing and any other thing being the ultimate goal ("enlightenment" = code for "at peace with yourself in your own skin"). The more baroque forms of Buddhism (non-tantric) having a soul-like substance enduring demons and such on a bardo are completely superstitious and silly. The Hua-Yen school is in tune with quantum theory, especially Bohm's infinite interconnectedness. The Buddhist concept of Nothing implies the complete cessation of consciousness in this world, just as was the case before you were born. How can it be said that death is so fearful? baby stepstag:atheistnexus.org,2011-05-14:2182797:Topic:12602612011-05-14T09:11:12.482ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">Hello everyone, I am new to the concept of Buddhism and am very curious to know more about it. I was brought up in a very strict christian home and have, obviously, grown up and out. I stumbled across a man called Alan Watts during my quest for 'the truth', and found that a lot of what he said seem to make more sense than anything I'd ever heard. That triggered my curiousity about Buddhism. I am a parent and would love to expose my children…</span>
<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">Hello everyone, I am new to the concept of Buddhism and am very curious to know more about it. I was brought up in a very strict christian home and have, obviously, grown up and out. I stumbled across a man called Alan Watts during my quest for 'the truth', and found that a lot of what he said seem to make more sense than anything I'd ever heard. That triggered my curiousity about Buddhism. I am a parent and would love to expose my children to these ideas because I had found so much peace just hearing some of the things that the Dalai Lama (on the web) was saying. How can I get started? Can anyone suggest books for me to read? It seems there are different ways to practise this, or may be that's just my ignorance of Buddhists principles. So here are two requests I'd like to put forth; (1) Any suggestions on books for beginners like me about the subject (2) Any suggestions on books for children, stories for them and so forth, as a kind of introduction about Buddhism.. thank you all</span> Just Curious...tag:atheistnexus.org,2011-01-28:2182797:Topic:10963202011-01-28T20:21:21.099ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
<p>I have been a member of this forum now for a few months, but have not posted anything, so this will be my first. At any rate, in reading some of the posts listed here, it seems that there's a pretty large variety in the interpretation of what it means to be atheist or not. I do not believe in a god or gods. I simply see no reason to suppose supernatural causes when empirical observation itself seems to suggest little reason to believe in such hypotheses (if no god is required for an…</p>
<p>I have been a member of this forum now for a few months, but have not posted anything, so this will be my first. At any rate, in reading some of the posts listed here, it seems that there's a pretty large variety in the interpretation of what it means to be atheist or not. I do not believe in a god or gods. I simply see no reason to suppose supernatural causes when empirical observation itself seems to suggest little reason to believe in such hypotheses (if no god is required for an explanation of how the universe works, why posit the existence of one?). At any rate, I have been a practicing Buddhist for about the last 15 years and have attended several retreats, including a month long retreat last year.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I have no interest in the dogmatic or religious aspects of Buddhism, do not believe in reincarnation, and have to admit that I'm fairly skeptical about the actual existence of the “Buddha” as a historical figure at all. I do not believe there is a state called “enlightenment” in which one has escaped the wheel of samsara, nor that if the Buddha did exist, he was anything but an ordinary human being with some exceptional personal insight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With that said, I think that the process of meditation, examining the nature of self, and the understandings on suffering presented in Buddhist doctrine of the four noble truths can be quite beneficial, even when one has adopted a more empirical process of viewing the world (maybe especially in an empirical process of viewing the world).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A lot of the other posts I've noticed on this site seem to have a bit of a bent towards the supernatural, or towards the dogmatic or religious aspects of Buddhism, even if the poster themselves identifies atheist. Given that, I guess I'm curious how many people who are members of this network find themselves enjoying the benefits of meditation, but like me, are not interested in the esoteric religious aspects of Buddhism.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm very interested in hearing about the experiences of other practitioners of Buddhism who have no belief in the supernatural, psychic abilities, or anything else that smacks of spirituality in general. I've heard plenty from folks who embrace the more spiritual components of Buddha, but am more curious now about others who practice Buddhism from a more skeptical or scientific worldview. Anyone else out there? How long have you practiced? And maybe why do you practice?</p>
<br/> What is different in your life's perspective because of Buddhism.tag:atheistnexus.org,2011-01-25:2182797:Topic:10932072011-01-25T23:57:09.786ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
<p> </p>
<p> I have not known jealousy or powerful desire for many years. For example, about 7 years ago my youngest daughter who was 11 at the time received a skull fracture in a car accident. I had no desire to undo the situation because it couldn't be undone. I stood in the emergency room and later in intensive care looking at her with wires, IV's and a breathing tube and my mind did not race through the possibilities of the future. I felt no fear. I just accepted the path I was on, I was…</p>
<p> </p>
<p> I have not known jealousy or powerful desire for many years. For example, about 7 years ago my youngest daughter who was 11 at the time received a skull fracture in a car accident. I had no desire to undo the situation because it couldn't be undone. I stood in the emergency room and later in intensive care looking at her with wires, IV's and a breathing tube and my mind did not race through the possibilities of the future. I felt no fear. I just accepted the path I was on, I was totally in the present, why worry about a future that would not turn out the way I would imagine. It never does. And it turned out pretty good, she still has seizures but is now in college. To me the greatest lesson from Buddha is all pain is caused by desire. When you can let it go, not hang on to what you want and except what is, you can handle anything. </p> My powertag:atheistnexus.org,2011-01-16:2182797:Topic:10819272011-01-16T00:28:57.882ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
As a practicing christian, a hard worker in church related programs such as Sunday school, women's bible study groups, food and clothes for the needy, and regular attendance at Sunday services, I felt guilt and shame. Why? I have no idea, but I could not do enough to free myself from these deep feelings of inadequacy.<br />
<br />
I find the teachings of Buddha liberating, even as I do not believe the mythical stories. Participating with Native American women from Alaska to Mexico gave me some insights…
As a practicing christian, a hard worker in church related programs such as Sunday school, women's bible study groups, food and clothes for the needy, and regular attendance at Sunday services, I felt guilt and shame. Why? I have no idea, but I could not do enough to free myself from these deep feelings of inadequacy.<br />
<br />
I find the teachings of Buddha liberating, even as I do not believe the mythical stories. Participating with Native American women from Alaska to Mexico gave me some insights that feel empowering. Listening to Bahai and Quaker practitioners added different dimensions.<br />
<br />
My comfort comes from understanding that life is an expression of nature in an evolved condition, it can be explained by processes of nature, simple and complex, and I exist. Nothing more seems important. I don't have to achieve anything in particular except to discover and reveal the attributes that came to me through the evolutionary process over time, and with nature taking its course.<br />
<br />
The Native women taught me a little ritual that I use to this day.<br />
Turn to the east and call forth those parts of my life's beginnings. A new life, a new day, a new job, a new problem, a new solution. All these express my power to be.<br />
<br />
Turn to the south and call forth those parts of my life that involve action. Making a bed, planting a garden, visiting a sick friend, taking care of a dying father. All these express my power to do.<br />
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Turn to the west and call forth those parts of my life that involve community. Caring for my family, helping a neighbor, supporting a candidate, speaking out when I agree or disagree with my nation's actions. All these express my power to belong.<br />
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Turn to the north and call forth those parts of my life that involve reasoning. Solving problems of every day life, exploring for better options, experimenting with new ideas. All these express my power to think.<br />
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Turn to the center and call forth those parts of my life that involves a sense a wonder. Seeing myself connected to the Earth through the natural force of nature and participating in the incredible realization that I am part of this magnificent universe. All these express my power to transcend.<br />
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Call forth the energy of east and west: I + You = We.<br />
Call forth the energy of south and north: doing + thinking = praxis Effects of environmental factors on the braintag:atheistnexus.org,2011-01-06:2182797:Topic:10721942011-01-06T04:30:41.371ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
<p>Very interesting article:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-douglas-fields/rudeness-is-a-neurotoxin_b_765908.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&amp;utm_campaign=010511&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=BlogEntry&amp;utm_term=Daily+Brief">Rudeness Is A Neurotoxin</a></p>
<p>Very interesting article:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-douglas-fields/rudeness-is-a-neurotoxin_b_765908.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&amp;utm_campaign=010511&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=BlogEntry&amp;utm_term=Daily+Brief">Rudeness Is A Neurotoxin</a></p> "Craving an illusion" vs "Acting to change"tag:atheistnexus.org,2010-10-16:2182797:Topic:10048222010-10-16T16:37:45.703ZRuth Tinerhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/RuthTiner
The idea that suffering is caused by 'craving an illusion' is one of the core propositions of buddhism. I'd like to dissect this with the help of this discussion group.<br></br><br></br>I have always found the selection of the word 'craving' to be interesting and worthy of discussion. To quote a dictionary "A consuming desire; a yearning.". <br></br><br></br>Stephen Batchelor sums this up in his interesting but over-compressed 'Buddhism without beliefs' as 'Craving for life to be other than it is.' To expand…
The idea that suffering is caused by 'craving an illusion' is one of the core propositions of buddhism. I'd like to dissect this with the help of this discussion group.<br/><br/>I have always found the selection of the word 'craving' to be interesting and worthy of discussion. To quote a dictionary "A consuming desire; a yearning.". <br/><br/>Stephen Batchelor sums this up in his interesting but over-compressed 'Buddhism without beliefs' as 'Craving for life to be other than it is.' To expand 'A consuming desire for life to be other than it is'.<br/><br/>In many cases, this analysis makes perfect sense to me. For a trivial example: getting upset about having a disagreement with someone is an example of 'a consuming desire for everyone to agree with me' - which is unrealistic. If we accept the world view that others absolutely do have different views from our own, then we can still have the debate, but the 'pain' of the dispute is removed.<br/><br/>Where I have trouble is with the apparent lack of acknowledgement of 'agency' on the part of the 'craver'. If the world 'is other than I would like it to be', I can conclude that I am craving an illusion and (to use the relevant Buddhist phraseology 'let go' of the craving), or I can attempt to do something to change the world such that my 'craving' is not (<span style="font-weight: bold;">any longer</span>) for an illusion.<br/><br/>Because I think that the general principle is sound, I think this consideration simply places an onus on the dharma practitioner to distinguish between the two cases, and it also says that the practitioner should simply 'let go' of any bad feelings that result when they encounter something unchangeable. ie "It's no use crying over spilt milk".<br/><br/>I'd be very interested to hear the views of others on this forum.<br/>